Taking inventory of your farm equipment

Think about how long accumulating your farm equipment took. And about the money you spent on each piece.

If a fire, flood, tornado or other covered disaster strikes your farm or ranch, will you be able to make a list of all of the damaged or destroyed equipment for your insurer?

Be prepared if you have to file an insurance claim

Conduct an equipment inventory so you have a detailed record of each tool, including:

Purchase date and purchase cost. Include receipts.

Estimated replacement value

Serial or ID number

Model number, brand and year

This information helps your insurance company reimburse you fairly and quickly, according to your policy provisions. Many farm management software packages include inventory tools that help make the job easier. But a notebook and a file box of organized receipts can also work.

Whatever you use, store your inventory records in a safe, off-site location, such as a safe deposit box. If your home is damaged, your records could be damaged, too.

Examples of equipment to inventory

Be sure to inventory all pieces of equipment essential to your operation, such as:

Tractors, trucks, ATVs

Combines, corn pickers

Backhoes, hay balers, wagons

Disks, cultivators

Seeders and planters

Fertilizer spreaders, sprayers

Milking machines, air compressors

Pumps, irrigation equipment

Post hole diggers, manure spreaders

Mowers, snow throwers, motors

Consider marking each piece with a permanent identification number. If your equipment is stolen, an ID number will be useful for law enforcement. Use a metal engraver or stamping tool, and place the number in an inconspicuous spot.

This information was obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and its employees make no guarantee of results and assume no liability in connection with any suggestions or information contained herein. Furthermore, it cannot be assumed that every acceptable safety method is included in this article or that specific circumstances may not require additional methods or alternative safety suggestions. Also, nothing contained herein is meant to represent or indicate compliance with applicable standards or requirements mandated by federal, state or local jurisdictions.